New York Sports

By JEFF CAPELLINI, WCBSTV.com Senior Sports Producer
NEW YORK (CBS) ― With all the solid moves the Jets have made to improve their chances of erasing last season's 4-12 disaster and making the playoffs this season, they are still a playmaker away from being a truly serious threat in the AFC. Brett Favre needs a big time deep target to fire his missiles toward.

The answer, green and white faithful, is 3,000 miles away.

Anquan Boldin.

Boldin, a sixth-year receiver out of Florida State, wants out of Arizona. He says the Cardinals reneged on an agreement to rework his four-year, $22.75 million contract he signed back in 2005.

Considering the fact that teammate Larry Fitzgerald signed a four-year, $40 million extension at the end of last season and Boldin is scheduled to make only $4 million this season, it's easy to understand why he says he doesn't feel that affection for the Cardinals the way he used to.

The numbers over the last three seasons suggest that Boldin has a pretty good argument that he should be making the same or comparable money to what Fitzgerald is getting.

Since 2005, Boldin has 256 receptions, 3,458 yards and 20 touchdowns in 42 games. Fitzgerald has been better, but only slightly better, catching 272 passes for 3,764 yards and 26 touchdowns in 44 games.

Yet Fitzgerald will make roughly $6 million more than Boldin this season.

No player in NFL history has gotten to 400 career receptions faster than Boldin. He's the complete package, with a flair for the incredible. Sure, he can be a bit of a malcontent, as this episode shows, but then again, who isn't these days? Boldin has made a name for himself playing for the Cardinals, a franchise that's actually below the Jets on the NFL food chain, if that's possible.

"Trader" Mike Tannenbaum, who also moonlights as Jets GM and cap guru, should be on the phone with the Cardinals. He's got commodities to trade and this market, as we all have learned over the last month, is receptive to teams willing to be aggressive.

With last season's emergence of Jerricho Cotchery as a solid over-the-middle man and versatile Brad Smith improving by the day, the addition of someone like Boldin would make the Jets dangerous in all corners of the field.

Tannenbaum has already stockpiled several good offensive linemen to block for the shake-and-bake backfield tandem of Thomas Jones and Leon Washington. The Jets also have three more-than-capable tight ends, and, of course, an all-time great quarterback at the controls, so it would make a lot of sense to go out and get their home run hitter to bat fourth and run deep.

Boldin should be that guy.

But before anyone gets crazy and screams that the Jets have already shelled out far too much money this season, consider this: Laveraneus Coles has been a good Jet, but not a great one. He's always annoyed about something, be it money, the number of passes thrown his way or, most recently, the team's decision to trade for Favre and release Chad Pennington, Coles' friend.

If there is a way to package Coles, who is scheduled to make $6 million this season, and something for Boldin, the Jets should strongly consider it.

Cardinals coach Ken Wisenhunt said recently the team has no intention of trading Boldin, but we all know how these things go. Few teams (short of Green Bay) play hardball anymore. It's better to move a guy who is disgruntled now if you truly have no intention of giving him what he wants. It doesn't appear that the Cardinals are going to pay Boldin anything close to what Fitzgerald is getting.

The Jets can make this work. Coles makes more money than Boldin. Draft picks are draft picks. Tannenbaum said yes to the Favre idea when many told him no, no way. He should at least say yes to a phone conversation this time around as well because Boldin would give Favre and the Jets the type of deep threat they haven't really had since the days of Al Toon or Wesley Walker.

Boldin is also an answer to the Patriots' Randy Moss. Boldin and Cotchery vs. Moss and Wes Welker is much more interesting than trotting Coles and Cotchery out there, even with Favre firing rockets.

"Trader" Mike, you've proven yourself already. Now, prove yourself again. If you're truly "going for it" now, Boldin will make life a lot easier.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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